Chapter 1 – Windberg (Part 3)

Evelyn looked at Jared. She thought he was unbearably lovely. She resisted the urge to embrace him and kiss him. She wanted to reach out and hold his hand, but the formal dining table was long, and the distance between them was too great.

So she sat quietly, just looking at him, and recited her soon-to-be new name in her mind.

‘Evelyn Glenn. Baroness of Chester.’

‘Novelist Evelyn Glenn.’

The euphoria was as thick as golden clouds. Surrounded by it, Evelyn was happy. Who would have imagined such a dreamlike moment would come in her life?

Her future was bright and clear, without a single cloud, and her path was filled with fragrant and soft petals. Like any woman about to marry the man she loves, Evelyn believed everything would turn out well.

The days together would be brighter than the days spent alone, and together, they could overcome anything.

“Jared.”

She called his name, as if pushed by a wave of emotion. Her heart was overflowing, like water spilling over. When Jared looked at her with questioning eyes, she searched for the most fitting expression to convey her feelings.

Evelyn hesitated due to her bad habit as a writer. Simply saying, “I love you,” would suffice, but she disliked using such a cliché expression.

As Jared waited for her words with a slight smile, someone knocked on the door. It seemed Mrs. Hinsley had brought the after-meal tea.

“We’ll continue this in the bedroom.”

Jared whispered just as the door opened. The man and woman sitting across the table exchanged conspiratorial glances and closed their mouths.

Evelyn, sitting with her back to the door, saw Jared’s gaze move from her to over her shoulder. Then he looked slightly surprised, with a faint frown and a vague smile.

“Klaus?”

Evelyn heard someone walking behind her. The sound was neat and measured. It wasn’t Mrs. Hinsley.

The person approaching the table was indeed a stranger. The middle-aged man, with hair half gray, was of medium height and slender build.

Evelyn guessed his status from his solemn expression, upright posture, and perfectly fitting black attire. The man looked like an experienced butler from a mansion.

“It’s been a while, Young Master Jared.”

“What brings the head butler here?”

Jared asked while receiving the greeting from his seat at the table. Head butler. The highest-ranking servant managing the butlers of the Ducal household. Evelyn observed this unexpected situation.

“I’ve come to escort you.”

“Me? Right now?”

“Yes.”

“I thought the visit was scheduled for three days later.”

Jared replied with a puzzled face. The butler, unshaken, said,

“Please depart now. The carriage is ready.”

His tone was so precise it almost felt coercive. Evelyn watched them with slight tension. Jared, too, seemed to be trying to interpret the meaning of this sudden situation. He stared at the butler standing before him, as if assessing him. The man stood there with his eyes lowered, politely.

Jared, who had been staring intently at the butler, finally spoke.

“Then you’ll have to wait a bit. Leaving isn’t a problem, but we need to prepare.”

He picked up the napkin from his lap and lightly placed it next to the empty plate, then raised his head. He directed his instruction at Mrs. Hinsley, who was standing at the entrance of the breakfast room.

“Madame, please assist Miss Dale. Help her get ready.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“I’m sorry, but the guest will not be accompanying you.”

The butler’s voice was clear. It was unmistakable for anyone in the same room not to hear. ‘The guest will not be accompanying you.’ Evelyn tried to interpret the obvious meaning of those words differently.

“What do you mean by that?”

Jared’s tone was cold. The lingering smile at his lips had completely vanished. He was now gradually showing signs of displeasure.

Expressing displeasure was a very rude act for a gentleman. Evelyn’s heart began to pound loudly in her ears.

“The guest will remain here, and you alone are to be escorted, Young Master.”

“……”

“It’s the Lady’s request.”

Evelyn instinctively lowered her eyes. She tried not to bite her lightly closed lips.

Stay calm and graceful, act like a lady. No matter what situation arises, don’t do anything that could be criticized. 

When she decided to go to her fiancé’s hometown, Evelyn had resolved herself in this way.

So even now, at this moment, hearing firsthand that Jared’s mother didn’t want to meet her, she tried her utmost to show no sign of bewilderment.

Then there was the sound of a chair scraping. Evelyn raised her eyes to look straight ahead. Jared, who had been sitting opposite, was standing up. As he straightened his body, their eye level reversed instantly. He was now looking down at the butler.

“I’m sorry, but that’s not possible. The reason I came to Windberg is because of this guest.”

He didn’t look at Evelyn. He only looked down at the butler with a solemn face.

No, it was closer to ‘glaring’ rather than just looking down. It was an overtly cold and chEllenging gaze.

It was the first time Evelyn had seen him treat someone like that. It was unfamiliar, and it made her happy.

Yes. She was happy.

Why was Evelyn Dale pleased by her fiancé’s ungentlemanly behavior? Because she felt protected. It was moving to see him, a direct descendant of a great noble family, growling to protect her, a commoner.

Jared Glenn, a brother of the Duke, for the sake of Evelyn Dale.

A woman with no connections to nobility, even if you searched through all her relatives on both sides. A woman who had lost one parent young and the other as she grew.

Evelyn occasionally exchanged letters with her remarried mother, but they weren’t close enough to take a two-day train ride just to meet.

So, for someone who didn’t even have both parents, let alone a respectable family, she couldn’t help but feel both anxiety and joy at the sight of a man standing up to his mother for her.

“Miss Dale is my guest. Maxville isn’t my home, but it’s not my mother’s property either. The Duke of Windberg invited both Miss Dale and me to the ducal mansion. If my brother’s wishes align with my mother’s, let me know now, Klaus.”

Jared paused, seemingly giving the butler time to respond. He seemed to judge that his logical rebuttal would solve the immediate problem.

Watching him gradually regain his composure, Evelyn was conflicted. Did she really need to go to the ducal mansion? Was it wise to clash with his mother?

But Jared was firm.

“I’ll be going with Miss Dale. Make the preparations.”

And just as Evelyn and Mrs. Hinsley was hesitating to make a decision, the butler, standing upright and silent, spoke.

“Your Grace.”

He called softly, then looked up. He calmly continued speaking to Jared, who was looking down at him.

“Both of your brothers have passed away.”

Evelyn couldn’t believe her ears.

“It was so sudden that the entire Maxville is in disarray. There are many matters that require Your Grace’s attention. The carriage is waiting, so please hurry.”

His tone was neither mournful nor sorrowful. Klaus the butler spoke with very precise pronunciation, making each word clear. It was a pleasant voice to listen to, but it sounded even colder because there was no emotion in it.

It was as if he was saying that since the owner of the Ducal residence had changed, taking him to the estate was today’s task.

For Klaus, it was merely a change of masters, just as it had been six months ago. It didn’t change his life, no matter who the Duke of Windberg was.

For some, it was a matter that would turn their lives upside down.

“You must go now.”

The butler urged again in a polite yet cold tone. Mrs. Hinsley, standing at the entrance of the breakfast room, couldn’t close her mouth due to the thunderous news.

Evelyn, sitting in front of the table, felt dizzy as her mind went blank. She still couldn’t believe what she had just heard.

“Please hurry, Your Grace.”

Jared, in shock, stared blankly at the butler. Then he looked at his fiancée, as if asking what to do. Evelyn met his green eyes with unease. It was the first time she had seen such a severely shaken gaze.

***

…At the time of the accident, the Duke was inspecting the mine with his brother. The north is well-known for its rich veins, and Herald wanted to give the land with a diamond mine to his younger brother Marcus.

…It wasn’t strange for the bold Marcus to want to see the power of the mine’s dynamite firsthand. It may be a cruel leap, but in the end, Herald’s extraordinary generosity led to his own and his brother’s deaths.

…Herald L. Windberg died just six months after inheriting the title. Since he had only a one-year-old daughter, according to the nobility law, the next successor was his brother Marcus Glenn, and since he also died unmarried, the dukedom passed to his younger brother. This tragic and rare event has drawn attention from noble society and the entire Empire.

…Succession beyond the eldest son of a hereditary noble is quite rare. Especially for the Glenn family, as our investigation of the noble yearbook confirmed, it’s the first time in the thousand-year history of the Glenn family that a third son has become the head of the family.

…Jared L. Windberg, unmarried at 27, inherited a total of 13 titles, including the dukedom. The family’s lands, real estate, and businesses are now all his. The lawyer who worked at his brother’s company became the owner overnight. So who could deny it? It’s undoubtedly a stroke of incredible luck.

Daily Tribune, October 19, 1885, ‘Duke of Misfortune? Duke of Fortune!’